Might it be 2015 for the 5.5in iPhone 6?

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has come over all negative of late, suggesting that the much-discussed Apple iWatch might slip back from September to November, thus shifting significantly less units by the time space year 2014AD draws to a conclusion – yadda yadda yadda.

On a similar note, his crystal ball says we shouldn’t get too excited about this 5.5in iPhone 6 we’ve been hearing about, as it might be 2015 before it sees the light of day.

To be fair, there’s always been somewhat of a question mark over the larger iPhone 6, with most rumours tending to focus on the smaller 4.7in model.

Some have suggested that the larger iPhone 6 might arrive in smaller quantities at first, or even launch later than its little brother.

For what it’s worth, Ming-Chi Kuo gives credence to the notion of a later arrival with these words:

“We think the 5.5-inch model will also have issues with the yield rate of in-cell touch panel and color unevenness of metal casing. Indeed, these problems will likely be even more complicated with a larger size.

“In addition, from a technical perspective, we don’t expect sapphire cover, used for the first time on the 5.5-inch model, will easily pass the drop test near term.

“We are conservative about 5.5-inch iPhone launching by end-2014. Even if the product is launched in 2014, it is likely to take place after mid-4Q14, which is later than the September-October of consensus, with shipments being lower than consensus of 15- 20mn units.”

Time will tell, I guess, but it’s worth noting that almost every Apple product launch is accompanied by rumours of delays, so you’ll forgive us for not crying just yet.